PARIS SHOW REPORT
DASA regional jets will be
based on A320 technology
BY JULIAN MOXON
The new Deutsche Aero space (DASA)/Aero spa tiale/
Alenia regional jet will incorpo
rate many of the features of the
Airbus Industrie A320.
According to Jurgen Thomas,
DASA co-ordinator of the DAA
92/122 programme, the two air
craft will have "A320-type" fly-
by-wire flight controls and cock
pit, and will use composites "as
far as the A320, maybe beyond".
Thomas makes the point that
Deutsche Aerospace and Aero
spatiale between them hold
more than 75% of both the
regional jet and Airbus consor
tia. "The technology develop
ments of each Airbus member
belong to them," he says.
Depending on research now
being carried out by DASA sub
sidiary MBB, the aircraft might
also feature an all-composite
wing. DASA will have to decide
on this "very soon" if it is to
meet the DAA 92/122 develop
ment schedule.
Engines for the DAA92/122
are being offered by at least four
groups. BMW Roils-Royce and
MTU/Pratt & Whitney are devel
oping brand-new engines,
while Snecma and Allison plan
derivatives.
Thomas says the most proba-
Jurgen Thomas: "DAA faces little competition"
ble choice will lie between the
two new engines. "Both groups
are within the right timescale,"
he says. It is likely that only one
engine will be offered for the
aircraft to begin with. "We don't
want to certify two engines at
once," he explains.
The DAA 92/122 will seat
passengers five-abreast in a
cabin which, at 3.23m diameter,
is about i5cm wider than that of
the McDonnell Douglas MD-80,
which is taken as a baseline
standard for passenger comfort.
discussions" with
the airline about
passenger cabin con
figuration. Delta,
"one of the few air
lines with an engi
neering staff", has
also been involved.
Thomas puts the total market
for the DAA 92/122 at more
than 2,000 aircraft in the 80- to
130-seat bracket between 1996
(when first deliveries are
planned), and 2009. "We have a
new aircraft family, so we expect
Specifications
Span
Length
Height
Maximum
take-off weight
Maximum
landing weight
Operating
DAA 92
30.4m
28.5m
10.3m
42,290kg
93,230lb
40,180kg
88,580lb
25,800kg
DAA 122
30.4m
34.6m
10.3m
49,740kg
109,6601b
47,250kg
104,1701b
28,960kg
DAA 92/DAA 122
d 0 10 20 30 40 II
Vi\ DAA 92—*. //
"The MD-80 has the best passen
ger acceptance in the five-
abreast class," says Thomas. The
new aircraft will feature many
detailed improvements, he adds,
including a wider mid
dle seat, asymmetric
luggage bins (larger on
the three-seat side), and
a wider aisle.
Trunk airlines and
regionals are targeted
for the DAA 92/122,
says Thomas, adding:
"A lot of trunk airlines
are beginning to need a
90-seater". Regionals
growing from 60- to
70-seat lurboprops are
also seen as likely
customers.
The consortium
hopes that Tufthansa
subsidiary DLT will be
one of the launch air
lines. Thomas says that
it is in "permanent
to gel at least a third of that,"
he says.
At its 90-seat initial size, Tho
mas sees "little competition"
with other regional jets. "The
BAel46 is there, but frankly it is
not very successful," he says.
The Fokker 100 is currently the
most "efficient" in its class, but
by the time this has been
stretched to 130 seats, the DAA
aircraft of the same size, which
will be delivered two years after
the DAA 92, will be more com
petitive, he contends.
Cost of the DAA twins will be
set at "an equivalent price to our
competitors in terms of seats",
which is between S220,000 and
$240,000 a seat, or $24 million
for the aircraft. Thomas hopes
airlines will be prepared to
spend more for the features he
claims will make the aircraft
more efficient, and reliable than
its competitors "...but we might
be forced to bring our
prices down".
A question mark lies over
where in Germany the aircraft
will be assembled — Hamburg
or Munich.
Both were originally MBB
plants, and there has always
been rivalry between the two.
Hamburg was chosen for final
assembly of the Airbus Industrie
A321, which makes Munich the
more likely choice.
"It is a difficult question,"
says Thomas, "but not abnor
mal. There are always politic
al pressures on this kind
of thing." •
CASA courts Saab on 3000 regional
CASA is looking for partners to help develop a 70-seat
regional turboprop rival to air
craft such as the ATR72. First
flight would be in 1995.
The Spanish company is stud
ying a project, known as the
CASA 3000, for possible go-
ahead by the end of 1992. The
company is looking to offset up
to 50% of the development to
risk-sharing partners.
CASA appears to have sought
Saab interest in the aircraft,
which has a cruise speed of
360kt (670km/h).
The Spanish concern is al
ready building a wing for the
50-to 58-seat Saab 2000 airliner
and it is thought that the new
project grew out of an idea to
stretch the Swedish aircraft —
scheduled to make its first flight
next year.
Interior layout is seen as offer
ing jet-standard comfort in a
basic 80cm-pitch, four-abreast
configuration. •
12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 June - 2 July, 19911